Portland Press Herald Building

119 Exchange Street, Portland, Maine Photos by Corey Templeton

The Issue

When the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram vacated their 1923 building at the corner of Exchange and Federal Streets, as well as the 1947 addition on Congress Street in 2010, the empty building in the heart of the Congress Street Historic District was in need of a new use.

Our Position

Landmarks supported development plans for the rehabilitation of the Press Herald building into a boutique hotel and restaurant. The reuse furthers the historic preservation goals of the City and contributes to the economic vitality of Portland's downtown.

The project was approved by Portland's Historic Preservation Board and funded in part by using state and federal historic preservation tax credits. Landmarks submitted a letter of support to the National Parks Service for the developer's plans to remove the altered historic fire escape. The hotel opened in 2015.